All our publications and other materials

The Red Cross, CARE Netherlands and Wetlands International have joined forces to work on disaster prevention and preparedness in the Agusan Delta in the South of the Philippines. Because we truly want to reduce the chance and impact of disasters, we do not only address the problems in the village, but also assess land and water management and use in the entire river landscape and implement solutions such as better management and restoration of ecosystems.

Palm oil is a vegetable oil that is a common ingredient in a wide variety of products, ranging from biscuits, bread and noodles to shampoo, candles and deter-gents. It has been estimated that around half of all packaged items found in supermarkets contain it. Palm oil is also used as biofuel. The use of palm oil is expected to continue growing, with an esti-mated doubling of use by 2020.

CHALLENGE: Agricultural output is expected to double and resource efficiency increase tenfold in the coming decades. Only a rapid transformation in the way products and services are produced and consumed will ensure the continued delivery of essential ecosystem services provided by a healthy environment while meeting the demands of the world’s growing population. Local communities must have a voice in this transition.

Over the last decade, various commitments towards sustainability of agro-commodity value chains have been made by governments and private sector. Relevant in this context is the recent zero deforestation pledges included in the New York declaration on Forests. Despite important progress, translating these commitments into effective implementation remains a challenge.

Due to the enormous emphasis on soybean cultivation within Argentina, activities such as cattle raising but also the cultivation of soybeans are increasingly pushed to more marginal and vulnerable areas, where the cost of land is lower.

The Paraná Delta, one of the most unique and important wetlands regions in the world, is one of these places. Although the region is not suitable for these activities, new actors are radically altering the landscape to make the undertaking of these activities possible. Read more about our work on soy and wetlands.

The Pantanal, in the heart of South America, on the border of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, is the largest freshwater wetland in the world. It has an enormous biodiversity and the people who live there mainly live from fishing and tourism. The Pantanal has a water regulating function for an enormous area to the La Plata in Argentina, some 1,500 kilometers away. 'The whole Pantanal, not just the half', supported by Both ENDS, IUCN and Wetlands International reviews the current developments with regard to soy production in the region to create an informed debate. The ultimate goal is to achieve agreements and commitments to stop buying soy from the Pantanal, as already exist on soy from other areas, such as that around the Amazon.

Wetlands International has been in Mali since 1998. As we near the end of a second decade in the country, we want to highlight and celebrate what’s been achieved and learnt within our growing network of partners. This document reflects on projects past while also looking to the future. More important still, it is a call for partners, old and new, to join us in writing the next chapters of the story – partners with the necessary funds, creativity, vision, ambition and energy to carry this exciting work forward.

Some 210 million people live in low elevation areas within 10 km of mangroves and many of these directly benefit from mangrove-associated fisheries. Yet, these people are often unaware of the key role mangroves may play, especially if the associated fisheries are offshore.

A new study by Wetlands International, The Nature Conservancy and the University of Cambridge, concludes that mangrove conservation and restoration in areas close to human populations will render the greatest return on investment with respect to enhancing fisheries.